Blue Jays win OT thriller
By Tom Dodge
St. Edmund’s Alex Hunt caught a two-point conversion pass from Drew Brown in overtime to lift the Blue Jays to a stunning 36-35 win over Opelousas Catholic.
“When I saw the linebacker blitz, I went where he was and I was open,” Hunt said. “I knew I had to catch the ball.”
The Vikings had the ball first in the extra period and T.J. Venable scored from 3 yards out. Matt Howard’s kick gave OC a 35-28 advantage.
Brown connected with Chase Dupre on the Blue Jays’ first play in overtime and David called a time out to discuss the crucial extra point play.
“We felt we had momentum as we scored on the flrst play in overtime,” David said. “We wanted to keep the pressure on and the kids did a great job executing the play.”
After a scoreless first quarter, OC put the first points on the board when Evan Wagley found Howard open for a 36-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
The two-point conversion pass failed as the Vikings led 6-0 with 11:50 left before intermission.
After both teams exchanged punts, OC’s Aaron Whipp scooped up a Blue Jay fumble and raced 19 yards to the end zone.
Wagley ran in the two-point conversion to push the Vikings ahead, 14-0 with 8:36 remaining before the break.
The Blue Jays regrouped in the locker room and responded with a seven play, 79-yard drive.
Brown, who sat out the first half for a violation of team rules, connected with Stone LeJeune for a 26-yard pass to begin the drive.
Brown later found Dupre open for a 35-yard pass play before running the ball in from five-yards out.
Kyle Verdugo’s kick closed the gap to 14-7 with 10:41 left in the third frame.
OC’s next drive was halted when LeJeune picked off Wagley and returned the ball 35 yards to the Viking 35.
Six plays later, Dupre hauled in a 4-yard pass from Brown and Verdugo’s PAT forced a 14-14 tie with 6:47 left in the period.
OC quickly retook the lead when Justin Tate found his way through the Blue Jays for a 73-yard kickoff return.
Howard’s PAT gave the Vikings a 21-14 lead with 6:27 remaining in the quarter.
The Blue Jays fumbled near midfield on their next possession but the St. Edmund defense stiffened and forced a punt.
The Blue Jays moved 82 yards in just six plays as Brown connected with Hunt, LeJeune and Dupre for key plays in the drive.
On third down at the OC 13, Brown tossed a 14-yard pass to LeJeune for the score.
Verdugo’s PAT tied the game, 21-21 with 31 seconds left in the period.
The Blue Jays forced OC to punt with 9:44 left in the game, but a fumble gave the Vikings the ball at the St. Edmund 32.
It took just one play for OC to take the lead as Wagley connected with Venable and Howard’s PAT pushed the Vikings ahead, 28-21 with 7:24 left in the game.
Kalob Gautreaux picked off Brown near midfield to give OC a chance to put the game away with 6:18 left, but the Jay defense stiffened and forced another punt.
The Blue Jays had less than two minutes left in regulation and quickly moved down the field as Brown made crucial throws to Hunt and Dupre to keep the drive going.
Brown and Dupre had one more pitch-and-catch, this time a 32-yarder with 34 seconds left.
Verdugo made the ever-important extra point to tie the game at 28-28 and after the kickoff, the Vikings knelt the ball to move the game to overtime.
“They were a very competitive bunch,” David said of OC (3-1). “They kept battling because they expected to pull it out in the end.
“Our guys did a good job battling and fighting through the obstacles,” the coach said. “We were hoping to be the last ones to score.”
Zach LaFleur led the Jays with 60 yards on 14 carries, while Brown added 57 yards on 11 carries.
Ross LaFleur had 41 yards on 11 carries as the Blue Jays finished with 150 yards on the ground.
Brown completed 19-of-28 passes for 287 yards while Dupre hauled in nine catches for 126 yards.
St. Edmund (2-2) entertains rival Westminster Christian Academy this week. The Crusaders (1-3) earned a 25-16 win over White Castle.
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